Animal Crossing: New Horizons Wistful Painting guide

One NPC to meet during players' time in Animal Crossing is Jolly Redd, a rather mysterious anthropomorphic fox with several rare statues and paintings for sale. Unfortunately, a rather large number of his items are fake and have no real value.

This guide will cover one such painting of the foxy salesman and how to avoid being duped by a fake one when purchasing it in this Nintendo Switch title.

Note: Minor spoilers for Animal Crossing New Horizons will follow. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Differentiating between the real and fake Wistful Painting in Animal Crossing New Horizons

The fake and real paintings, compared (Image via YouTube/Mayor Mori)

Players must note the following subtle differences between the real and fake paintings, lest they wish to be scammed of their Bells:

• This painting has two fakes.
• The first fake has the woman’s eyes closed, while the original does not.
• The second fake is more subtle and involves and involves an altered earring.
• The real Wistful Painting has a spherical, round-shaped earring.
• The fake will have a star-shaped earring instead.

Keeping these two key changes in mind from the original, players can be sure to spot the real Wistful Painting and avoid being scammed by the devious Jolly Redd.

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What happens if players obtain a fake painting from Jolly Redd?

There is sadly not much to do after obtaining a fake painting from Redd, and players have only two choices.

Players can either drop off the painting on a mystery island or chuck it into the trash can at Resident Services, permanently removing the item from their inventory and saved game.

Another alternative is to use it to decorate your house in Animal Crossing New Horizons. While it may not be a legitimate painting, it is still counted as a piece of art and can be hung on a wall for players to see. However, everyone will know that it is fake.

Either way, the result is players losing their hard-earned Bells as the item is not salvageable.

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What is the Wistful Painting based upon?

The Wistful Painting in Animal Crossing New Horizons is based upon its real-life counterpart from Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. This golden age painter’s work is titled as the ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring,’ in modern times and is an oil painting depicting a strikingly beautiful young woman with a headdress looking towards her side. As the name describes, she is seen adorned with a spherical earring.

The painting has been in the collection of the Mauritshuis since 1902, in the Netherlands.

It is one of the world’s most recognizable paintings and is often compared to the Mona Lisa. Furthermore, it was crowned as the most beautiful by the Dutch public in 2006.

Animal Crossing New Horizons features various notable artists whose digital versions of real-life paintings can be purchased from Redd’s shop, albeit at the chance of getting a fake.

The title has plenty for the player to do in its social simulation setup. In addition, they may also meet up with friends or interact with other non-playable characters throughout the game’s campaign.